In yet another sign the demand for electric vehicles isn’t slowing down any time soon, Mercedes-Benz have announced they will roll out more than 10,000 public EV chargers across the globe by the end of the decade.
The spree will begin in north America this year and – while branded Mercedes-Benz – will also be open to vehicles from other brands.
After the US the high-power charging network will spread through Europe, China and other as-yet unspecified “main markets”. It was developed in conjunction with solar energy and battery storage network company ChargePoint.
Considering more than 95,000 new Teslas had been sold in Australia by November last year, almost 18 per cent more than the same time the year before, you’d have to think we’re on the other main markets map.
The northern US network will consist of more than 400 hubs with more than 2500 chargers. Work on that phase should be complete by 2027.
Depending on the location, each of those hubs will offer between four and 12 chargers, with up to 350kW charging power. Mercedes-Benz say each hub will eventually house as many as 30 chargers.
As a bonus to Mercedes owners, they will have benefits over owners of other EV brands, such as being able to reserve a charging spot, which is something Audi offers with its hubs in Europe.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the chargers will be “spaced conveniently at regular intervals” near motorways, major intersections and metropolitan areas, with toilets and food outlets nearby.
The luxury car brand promise a “premium, sustainable and reliable” service, with surveillance cameras and “other measures” in place to provide security for users.
The plan is to also “preferably ensure” the hubs are juiced up with energy through green electricity supply contracts or renewable energy certificates from an accredited supplier.
“At Mercedes-Benz we’re fully committed to making the charging of battery electric vehicles easier and more accessible,” says a spokesman. “By selecting MN8Energy and ChargePoint as our partners in North America – two leaders in their respective fields – we’ll be able to continue to drive the transformation towards an electric future, which is one of the main pillars of our holistic, sustainable corporate strategy.”
Currently, Tesla’s supercharger network is the largest and most well known, but Audi now have four branded hubs in Europe. In Australia, Chargefox have partnered with a variety of EV makers to give owners access to public charging.
